Eating blue crab is a treasured tradition along the coasts of the Eastern and Southern United States. The sweet briny flavor of fresh crab meat straight from the ocean is a delicacy that is synonymous with summer. While blue crab may seem intimidating to crack open and pick for the first time learning how to eat it is easier than you think. With a few simple tools and tips, you’ll be picking crab like a seasoned pro in no time.
In this complete guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to eat blue crab, from the best tools to have on hand to step-by-step instructions on cracking and picking. We’ll also share some of our favorite blue crab dipping sauces and serving ideas so you can make the most of this tasty seafood. Grab your wooden mallet and let’s get cracking!
A Quick Intro to Blue Crab
The blue crab, known by its scientific name Callinectes sapidus, is a common species found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. These crabs get their name from their blueish grey shells and blue-tinted claws. Blue crabs are a popular menu item and ingredient in the Mid-Atlantic region particularly Maryland and Virginia where they are abundant in the Chesapeake Bay.
Blue crab meat is prized for its sweet, delicate flavor. The body meat is flaky and tender, while the meat from the claws is the firmest and most succulent. While you can certainly buy pre-picked crab meat at the store, part of the fun and tradition of eating blue crab is cracking and picking it yourself straight from the shell.
So let’s get into everything you need to know to get the most meat out of your blue crabs!
The Tools You’ll Need
Cracking and picking crab is hands-on messy work. While it’s possible to eat blue crab using just your fingers and hands having a few specialized tools makes the job much easier. Here are the must-have tools for eating blue crab like a pro
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Wooden mallet or crab hammer: Essential for cracking open the hard shell and claws. Look for one with a flat surface on one side for cracking the body and a claw end for breaking the pincers.
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Crab crackers or picks: Help pull meat out of narrow spaces or stubborn shells. Look for ones with a two-pronged fork on one end.
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Paring or oyster knife: Great for prying off the top shell and cutting crab into sections.
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Nutcracker: An alternative to the mallet for cracking claws.
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Seafood seasoning: Such as Old Bay, JO Spice, or crab boil. Brings out the flavor.
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Melted butter: The classic dip for blue crab meat. Provides richness.
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Lemon wedges: Brightens up the flavor. Squeeze over crab meat.
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Bib, wet naps, and paper towels: Crab is messy work! Keep these on hand.
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Trash bowl: For discarding crab shells as you work.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Eating Blue Crab
Once you’ve assembled your tools, it’s time to dig in. Follow these steps for perfectly picked crab meat:
1. Turn the crab upside down
Place the crab on its back so the bottom shell and white apron are facing up. The top shell should be down against the table.
2. Remove the top shell
There’s a small tab on the bottom near the apron you can lift up to remove the top shell. Twist and lift it off. Discard the top shell.
3. Remove the gills and guts
The gills will be visible on either side once you remove the top shell. Pull these off along with anything else inside the crab and discard.
4. Crack the body
Use your mallet or hammer to crack the crab body open down the center. Apply firm yet controlled strikes.
5. Remove the body meat
Use your hands or a crab pick to remove the body meat in sections from each side of the cracked crab.
6. Break the legs and pincers
Use your mallet or crackers to break the legs and pincers away from the body. Crack them open to access the leg and claw meat.
7. Pick the leg and claw meat
Use picks, forks, and your fingers to extract all the meat from inside the legs, joints, and pincers.
And that’s it! With the body, claw, and leg meat removed, you’ve successfully picked your first blue crab. Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Serving Ideas for Crab Meat
Once picked, blue crab meat is incredibly versatile. Here are some of our favorite ways to eat it:
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Serve with melted butter or cocktail sauce for dipping.
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Pile high on a toasted roll for a crab cake sandwich.
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Toss with pasta and herbs for a simple crab pasta dish.
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Fold into creamy crab dip with cheese, mayo and spices.
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Top a salad with chilled crab meat.
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Use in seafood soups, bisques, chowders or gumbos.
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Mix into deviled egg filling along with mayo and mustard.
However you choose to eat it, blue crab is at its absolute best when freshly picked. So grab some seafood seasoning and cold drinks, spread out some newspaper, and get everyone together for a hands-on crab feast! The reward of sweet crabmeat straight from the source is well worth the effort.
Now get crackin’! With this guide, you have everything you need to pick crab like an expert. Keep the mallet swinging, the butter melted, and the good times rolling with this fun seafood tradition. Let us know how your first crab picking experience goes!
Tips for Healthier Eating
- Cook only live crabs. Discard any dead crabs and ones with broken shells.
- Store crabs in a cool, moist environment at 50oF in a breathable container such as a paper bag or cardboard box for short periods of time before cooking. Do not store crabs directly on ice or in water as this will kill them.
- Bacteria, viruses or parasites can be in or on crabs. Keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial cross-contamination.
- Wear gloves while handling or use tongs. Wash hands and surfaces often when preparing fish and shellfish, and keep raw foods separate.
- Cook fish and shellfish thoroughly before eating. Cooked blue crabs have a bright red shell and their meat is no longer translucent.
How to Cook and Prepare Crab to Reduce Levels of Chemicals in a Crab Meal
- Remove the tomalley (also called mustard, green/brown stuff, green gland) of crabs before eating. This is where PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxin and metals concentrate.
- Do not reuse the cooking liquid for sauces, soups or stews. Roughly 80 percent of the PCBs found in crabs move into the cooking liquid during steaming/boiling.
How to PROPERLY Pick & Eat Maryland Blue Crabs
FAQ
What part of the blue crab is not edible?
Thankfully, nearly every part of a crab can be eaten, with one exception: the lungs or gills, aka “The Devil’s Fingers.” Despite the myth that they’re harmful to eat, crab lungs are not inherently toxic. The real reason to steer clear of them is that they just don’t taste good.
What part of a blue crab do you not eat?
Pull away the inedible gray gills (also known as “dead man’s fingers”), located on both sides of the crab and discard them along with the internal organs. After discarding them, break the crab in half so you can start to see the meat. Use your fingers to pull the sides apart, and remove the lump crab meat for eating.